One electrophotographic type color printer conventionally well known in the art is an intermediate transfer type color printer. One such intermediate transfer type color printer includes a plurality of process cartridges each having the photosensitive drum for one of four colors, a drawer for retaining the plurality of process cartridges, an endless belt that is disposed below the plurality of process cartridges and contacts the photosensitive drum of each process cartridge, a secondary transfer roller that contacts a rear portion of the endless belt, a sheet supply tray that is disposed below the endless belt, and a discharge tray that is formed on the top of the printer.
In this color printer, each sheet of paper accommodated in the sheet supply tray is conveyed upward from the sheet supply tray so as to pass through a position between the endless belt and the secondary transfer roller. Then, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray so as to be conveyed frontward. In other words, the sheet accommodated in the sheet supply tray passes through a generally C-shaped conveying path (so-called C-path) to be discharged to the discharge tray.
Further, this image forming device is capable of so-called “front access”, replacing each process cartridge by pulling the drawer frontward and setting the sheet of paper in the sheet supply tray by pulling the sheet supply tray frontward.